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Simple Diredions for 
The Laundress 



SIMPLE DIRECTIONS SERIES 
By Caroline Reed Wadhams 



SIMPLE DIRECTIONS FOR THE BUTLER 
SIMPLE DIRECTIONS FOR THE CHAMBERMAID 
SIMPLE DIRECTIONS FOR THE COOK 
SIMPLE DIRECTIONS FOR THE LAUNDRESS 
SIMPLE DIRECTIONS FOR THE WAITRESS 

With Introdudlion by Maurice A. Bigelow, Ph.D., 
Diredor of the School of Pradical Arts, 
Teachers College, Columbia University. 

SIMPLE DIRECTIONS FOR THE CHILD'S NURSE 

With Introdudion by Henry Dwight Chapin, A.M., 

M.D., Professor of Diseases of Children at the 

New York Post-Graduate Medical School 

and Hospital 



Each volume with frontispiece in color. 
i6mo. Price per volume, fifty cents net. 



Simple DireBions 

for the 

Laundress 

By 

Caroline Reed Wadhams 



With Introdudion hy 
Maurice A, Bigelow, Ph.D. 

Diredor of the School of Practical Arts 
Teachers College, Columbia University 



Longmans, Green and Co, 

Fourth Avenue ^ 30th Street, New York 

5P Paternoster Rowj London 

Bombay y Calcutta, and Madras 

1917 






COPYRIGHT, I917 
BY LONGMANS, GREEN AND CO. 



FEB 12 1917 



aA457058 



rO MY MOTHER 

WHOSE EXAMPLE IN THE TRAINING OF THE MAIDS, 
IN THE MANAGEMENT OF HER HOUSEHOLD, AND IN 
THE LOVING AND WISE CARE OF HER LARGE FAMILY 
OF CHILDREN, HAS ENABLED ME TO WRITE THESE 
DIRECTIONS, I DEDICATE, WITH AFFECTIONATE GRATI- 
TUDE, THESE LITTLE BOOKS. 



T 



PREFACE 

^HE author has long been interested in 
bettering the condition of household workers 
and has planned for their use the establishment 
of a hotel and recreation centre with classes in 
the different branches of household work. This 
has led to the preparation of these simple direc- 
tions for the use of the many who may not be 
able to attend such classes, but who desire to 
advance themselves by becoming more proficient. 
These directions are written for the laundress. 
They are intended to assist her to do her work in a 
way that will produce the best results. 

By following these directions she will be 
relieved of the necessity of constantly asking 
instructions from her employer. 

The inexperienced laundress may follow these 
directions as a text-book or guide on this branch 
of household work, and it is believed the experi- 
enced also will find they contain useful sugges- 
tions. 

Directions are given in this book as to many 
details, as it is care in the preparation of little 



VUl PREFACE 

things which makes the complete work satisfac- 
tory. So it is the doing of small things well 
which distinguishes the trained and accomplished 
from the inexperienced in household work. 

The author takes pleasure in expressing her 
appreciation of the course given by Miss L. 
Ray Balderston, Instructor of Laundering at 
Teachers College, Columbia University, ichich 
has been of practical value to the author in direct- 
ing the work of her laundress and also helpful 
in preparing these directions. 

If there is a demand for translations, these 
directions will be published in French, German, 
Swedish, and Finnish. When the laundress 
speaks a different language than her employer, 
directions in the laundress's native tongue would 
be found especially useful. 

C. R. W. 



CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Qualifications 2 

Manners 3 

Necessary Wardrobe 4 

Care of Person 6 

Care of Laundress's Room 6 

Illness of Laundress 7 

Entertainment of Friends 8 

Evenings Out 8 

Corrections by Employer 9 

How Complaints Should Be Made 10 

When a Maid Should Leave 11 

When a Maid Should Be Dismissed 11 

Books of Reference for the Laundress .... 11 

Duties of Laundress Before Breakfast .... 12 

Daily Cleaning of Laundry 12 

Equipment for Laundry 13 

Tools and Utensils 13 

Supplies 16 

Weekly Cleaning op Laundry and Care of its 

Equipment 17 

Laundry Closet 17 

Coal Laundry Stove 17 

Gas Laundry Stove 18 

Electric Laundry Stove 19 

Sweeping Laundry 19 

Laundry Tubs 19 

Washing Machines 20 

Wringers 20 

Mangles 21 

Irons 21 

Clothes Hampers 22 

Clothes Baskets 23 

Clothespins 23 

Ironing Sheets 24 

Clotheshorses 24 

ix 



X CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Clothes Boiler 24 

Washboards 25 

Small Utensils 25 

Formulas for Cleaning and polishing metals . . 25 

Copper and Brass 25 

Steel and Iron 25 

Tin 25 

Aluminum 25 

Day Planned for Washing 26 

Arranging Work for Washing 26 

Assorting Clothes 27 

Groups into which Clothes Should be Assorted . 27 

Soaking Clothes 29 

Clothes That Should Never Be Soaked .... 30 

Soaping Clothes to Soak 30 

Washing 31 

Washing with Washing Machine 31 

Boiling 32 

Rinsing 32 

Blueing 33 

Wringing 34 

Wringing Clothes with Buttons 34 

Starching 35 

Recipes for Starch 36 

Drying 39 

Clothes Driers 39 

Drying Clothes on Rainy Days 40 

Dampening 40 

Ironing 41 

Airing Clothes 41 

Bed Linen and Towels 42 

Washing Bed Linen and Towels 42 

Rinsing Bed Linen and Towels 43 

Wringing Bed Linen and Towels 43 

Drying Bed Linen and Towels 44 

Folding and Dampening Bed Linen and Towels 44 
Diagram Showing how to Dry Bed Linen and 

Towels 45 

Ironing and Folding Bed Linen and Towels . . 46 
Diagram Showing how to Fold Bed Linen and 

Towels 47 

Cotton and Linen Underwear and Night Gowns 48 
Washing Cotton and Linen Underwear and 

Nightgowns 48 

Starching Cotton and Linen Underwear and 

Nightgowns 48 



CONTENTS XI 

PAGE 

Wringing Cotton and Linen Underwear and 

Nightgowns 48 

Diagram Showing Partial Starching 49 

Drying Cotton and Linen Underwear and 

Nightgowns 49 

Diagram Showing how to Dry Cotton and Linen 

Underwear, Nightgowns and Stockings .... 50 
Dampening Cotton and Linen Underwear and 

Nightgowns 50 

Ironing and Foldmg Cotton and Linen Under- 
wear and NightgowTis 51 

Diagram Showing how to Fold Underwear ... 51 
Diagrams Showing how to Fold Underwear and 

Nightgowns 52 

Table Linen 53 

Washing Table Linen 53 

Stains on Table Linen 53 

Dampening Table Linen 54 

Diagram Showing how to Hang Table Linen . . 55 

Ironing Table Linen 55 

Diagram Showing how to Fold Table Napkins . 5Q 

Diagram Showing how to Fold Table Linen . . 58 

Washing Dish Towels 59 

Men's Shirts 59 

Soaking Men's Shirts 59 

Washing White Linen and Cotton Shirts .... 59 

Diagram Showing how to Dry a Shirt 60 

Men's Wool Shirts 60 

Men's Silk Shirts 60 

Starching Shirts 61 

Ironing and Folding Shirts 62 

Men's Collars 62 

Diagram Showing how to Fold Men's Shirts . . 63 

Washing White Waists, Dresses, Etc 64 

Diagram Showing how to Hang Waists and 

Dresses 65 

Colored Clothes 66 

Setting Color 66 

Washing Colored Cotton and Linen Clothes . . 66 

Starching Colored Linen and Cotton Clothes . . 67 

Washing Lace and Small Fine Pieces 67 

Diagram Showing how to Pin a Lace Collar to 

Dry 68 

Washing Colored Silks 69 

Washing Pongee 70 

Washing Chiffon 70 



Xll CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Washing Ribbons 70 

Washing Handkerchiefs 71 

Stockings 72 

White Cotton or Lisle Stockings 72 

Black and Colored Stockings 72 

Wool Stockings 72 

Silk Stockings 73 

Drying and Ironing Stockings 73 

Woolen Garments 73 

Knitted and Crocheted Articles ....... 74 

Diagram Showing Measurements of Sweater . . 75 

Washing Dusters and Cloths 75 

Washing Dress Shields 76 

Washing Corsets 76 

Washing Bi^^nkets 76 

Curtains 77 

Lace Curtains 77 

Muslin Curtains 78 

Stains and How to Remove Them 78 

Fruit 78 

Tea and Coffee 79 

Cocoa or Chocolate 79 

Grease from Food 79 

Wheel Grease or Oil 79 

Grass Stain 79 

Wine 79 

Vaseline 79 

Scorch 79 

Mildew 79 

Paint 79 

Wax 80 

Ink 80 

Iron Rust 80 

Perspiration 80 

Blood 80 

Timing Work 80 

Closing House 81 

Laundress-cook 82 

Laundress-chambebmaid 82 



INTRODUCTION 

HOUSEHOLD arts, dealing with all the best 
ways of making our homes most satisfac- 
tory y are now established as part of the curricu- 
lum for girls in numerous schools and colleges; 
and already thousands of women have been 
educated to apply science and art to the multi- 
tudinous problems of a modern home. However, 
the formal instruction offered by our educational 
institutions has so far reached a very small mi- 
nority of American homes. On the other hand, 
the most important facts of household arts have 
been carried to hundreds of thousands of homes 
by printed matter such as books and magazines. 
It is obvious that instruction by print rather than 
by teachers offers the only practical method of 
quickly spreading the science and arts of the 
household to all homes. 

The series of booklets to which the present 
volume belongs is destined to play a very im- 
portant part in household arts instruction by 
means of printed pages. Heretofore^ books and 
teachers of household arts have aimed primarily 
at those who as wives and mothers are home- 
makers, and there has been neglect of the vast 
group of paid workers in other people's homes. 



INTRODUCTION 

It is certain^ therefore, that thousands who are 
interested in the widest possible application of 
household arts to the everyday work of the home 
will welcome gladly these unique booklets in 
which Mrs. Wadhams has guided various kinds 
of paid workers in the performance of their 
daily tasks in the ways most efficient from the 
standpoint of household arts and most satisfac- 
tory to their employers. At the same time the 
writer has not overlooked the fact that the paid 
worker is a person whose individual life de- 
mands some time and attention; and the numer- 
ous suggestions covering personal care, recreation, 
etc., ought to help many a worker towards better 
health, more interest in her duties, and more 
pleasure out of life. 

These little handbooks are sure to have a career 
of great usefulness in helping solve some of the 
vexing problems of the modern home. Although 
the writer has addressed the workers, the booklets 
will be many times more helpful if the employers 
read and thoughtfully digest their contents before 
asking the workers to read and put them into 
daily practice, 

Maurice A. Bigelow 

School of Practical Arts, 
Teachers College, 
Columbia University. 



Simple Directions for 
the Laundress 



HOUSEHOLD service has great advan- 
tage over other forms of work in that 
it provides a home, with a good table, whole- 
somely prepared, and comfortable lodgings. 
Those in household service are relieved of any 
worry over providing food and shelter, and they 
are able, after furnishing clothing and enter- 
tainment, to save a large part of their wages. 
They are not subject to the exposure of going 
to and from work in all kinds of weather. 

As members of a household they enjoy the 
protection of the home. In case of sickness 
there is someone to see that they have the 
proper care and medical advice, if necessary. 
During a short illness wages are not deducted, 
and the maids are not required to furnish a 
substitute to do their work, as is often the 
case in other employments. 

Household service is an occupation requiring 
skill and training. Those who are most 
proficient take pride in their work, do it with 
greater ease and are always in demand. 

The position of laundress is one of responsi- 
bility. She has entire charge of the laundry 
and its equipment. When there is no second 



2 THE LAUNDRESS 

laundress or kitchen maid, the laundress usually 
has charge of the maids' sitting room and 
basement hall. Besides washing the house- 
hold linen and the family clothes, the laundress 
washes the clothes of the governess and the 
nurse. In some households the laundress 
washes the housemaids' aprons, cuffs, collars, 
and caps. Sometimes stiff bosom shirts and col- 
lars are sent to a commercial laundry. 

In most households the position of laundress 
is combined with some other department, a 
frequent combination being laundress-chamber- 
maid, but often in small families the cooking 
and laundry work are combined. 

QUALIFICATIONS 

The laundress should be extremely neat and 
careful to keep her clothes in order and her 
hair neatly brushed. Even if her work does 
not take her from the laundry she should not 
allow herself to become careless in her per- 
sonal appearance. She will be more com- 
fortable and enjoy her work more if she is 
suitably and attractively dressed. 

The laundress should understand her work 
so well that she will be able to produce good 
results, even if she is working in a laundry 
not equipped with the latest modern devices. 

The laundress should be able to plan and 
systematize her work, as she may have a 
large number of clothes of great variety to 
wash and iron. 

When the household wash is small, a day 



THELAUNDRESS 3 

worker is usually employed, or the clothes are 
sent to a commercial laundry. 

It is only in households that have a large 
wash each week that a laundress is employed 
by the week or month. 

The laundress does not come into personal 
relation with the members of the family 
unless her work is combined with chamber 
work, but she should take pride in her work 
and the appearance of the laundry, even if it 
is situated in a remote part of the house. If 
she takes an interest in her work and the 
clothes are well washed and attractively ironed, 
she will not only find satisfaction in her trade 
but be of greater value to her employer. 

If the laundress is inexperienced she should 
not expect to receive the wages of an experi- 
enced laundress while she is being instructed, 
or until she has become proficient. 

If the employer takes the time and trouble 
to teach the laundress, she should show her 
appreciation by following the instructions 
carefully. 

MANNERS 

Good manners are a valuable qualification 
in all positions. Some of the important rules 
of good manners are : to rise when the employer 
or her friends come into the room; in answer- 
ing to use the name of the person addressed, as, 

"Yes, Mrs. " or "Yes, Madam"; if a 

remark is not understood or heard the proper 
form is not to say "What?" but to say "I 
beg your pardon," and when instructions are 



4 THE LAUNDRESS 

given, not to say "All right" but to say "Yes, 
Madam," to indicate that the instructions are 
understood. 

Another indication of good manners is a 
readiness to assist by offering to go for and 
bring whatever is required, placing a chair 
and performing such other thoughtful service 
as the occasion may demand. 

These manners are the same as those re- 
quired in schools, hospitals and offices. 

By observing these rules, the laundress will 
not only show that she has good manners but 
her services will be more highly appreciated. 

NECESSARY WARDROBE 

The wages received by the maid are suffi- 
cient to enable her to purchase a suitable 
wardrobe. The following articles are sug- 
gested, in addition to street clothes, as they are 
necessary to the proper performance of the 
work and to enable her to appear neat, and 
keep in good health. 

Four of each kind of underwear. 

Three night gowns. 

Four pairs of stockings, 

A bedroom wrapper. 

Bedroom slippers, 

A comfortable pair of house shoes with low 
heels. 

Two gingham petticoats. 

Three colored aprons, 

A dust cap, 

An umbrella. 



THELAUNDRESS 5 

A pair of rubbers, which should be kept in the 
laundry to wear when needed in hanging 
clothes on the clothesline, 
A sweater or wool coat, which should be kept 
in the laundry to wear when needed in 
hanging clothes on the clothesline, 
A muffler and a shade hat, which should be 
kept in the laundry to protect the laundress 
in very cold or hot weather. 
Three good gingham dresses {the gray-blue 

is the most practical). 
Dresses with low collars and elbow sleeves 
are the most comfortable and may be worn, 
if the laundress has no work to do in the front 
of the house. In case she has chamber work, 
she may wear dresses with a neckband to 
which white collars may be attached and with 
sleeves that button from the wrist to the 
elbow so that they may be easily turned back. 
When the laxmdress work is combined with 
chamber work she will need white aprons, 
cuffs and collars, and a dress to wear in the 
afternoon, or when helping to wait on the 
table. 

The employer usually provides white aprons, 
cuffs, collars and caps. The laundress should 
not expect the employer to furnish dresses 
unless special uniforms are required. 

If the laundress is thrifty, she can make 
many of her clothes, which will save her 
money and give her better clothes. 

Small hand sewing machines may be pur- 
chased at little cost and are easily carried 



b THELAUNDRESS 

about. The maid should have her own work- 
basket or workbag, well fitted, to keep her 
wardrobe in perfect repair. 

CARE OF PERSON 

The laundress should be neat about her 
person. Her hair should always be carefully 
brushed. 

The laundress who is brisk about her work 
necessarily perspires and, therefore, should be 
most careful about her bathing. This is neces- 
sary not only to avoid the slightest odor of 
perspiration but also to keep in good health. 

A cold sponge bath each morning followed 
by a brisk rub is a good preventive against 
colds. A warm bath in a tub should be taken 
at least once a week. 

If no bathroom is available, a tin, rubber or 
other portable bath-tub may be used. In 
many countries portable tubs are commonly 
used for bathing. 

CARE OF laundress's ROOM 

In some large private houses, the rooms 
are so well planned that each maid has a 
room to herself, but in most houses where 
several maids are employed the sharing of 
rooms has to be expected. 

The laundress should not only be careful 
to keep herself neat, but also to keep her 
room in perfect order. Her clothes should 
be put away and the top of the bureau kept 
tidy. Each morning the bed should be opened, 



THELAUNDRESS 7 

the bed linen spread over the foot of the bed 
or over a chair, and the window opened to air 
the room thoroughly. 

The fact that in the same household one 
laundress keeps her room in order and another 
laundress, taking the same place, keeps her 
room in disorder, shows that a laundress can 
be neat and that the work required is no 
excuse for having an untidy room. 

When the laundress does the cleaning of 
her room, she should do it as thoroughly as she 
would clean her employer's room. 

When the laundress is leaving a place, 
whether she is leaving of her own will, or has 
been dismissed, she should leave her room 
absolutely clean, even though the laundress 
before her left it looking badly. The room 
should be left in good order to satisfy her own 
self-respect. 

ILLNESS OF LAUNDRESS 

The laundress should always tell her em- 
ployer when she is feeling ill. This enables 
the employer to change the plan of work for 
that day or place it in someone else's hands. 

If the laundress does not require the atten- 
tion of a physician, the employer will give her 
some simple and safe remedy that will often 
prevent a serious illness. 

If the laundress's feet give her trouble, she 
should ask her employer for the name of a 
reliable chiropodist. To change the stockings 
each day is a great relief to the feet. 



8 THELAUNDRESS 

ENTERTAINMENT OF FRIENDS 

The laundress should never permit her 
friends to interfere with her work. They 
should not be permitted to be so noisy as to 
disturb the household. 

Men callers should not be permitted to 
smoke where the smoke penetrates to the 
family living rooms. 

In most households the laundress is per- 
mitted to serve tea or coffee to friends calling 
on her, but she should not invite friends to a 
meal without first obtaining permission from 
the employer. 

EVENINGS OUT 

On their evenings out, the laundress and 
other employees should return not later than 
the hour set by the employer for closing the 
house for the night. If on special occasions 
the laundress desires to stay out later she 
should always ask her employer whether it 
will be convenient so that arrangement may 
be made to let her in on her return. The 
employer naturally feels responsibility when 
she has young girls in her employ. These 
girls often have no relatives or friends nearby 
to advise them. 

If the employees are allowed to be out on 
other nights than their nights off duty, they 
should arrange among themselves to have 
their duties performed by others who remain 
in the house. 

Young girls should not be out alone late at 



THELAUNDRESS 9 

night, as it is often dangerous in both the city 
and the country. 

If the employees are put on their honor in 
regard to the time of coming in and in regard 
to extra evenings out, they should not abuse 
the privilege. 

Maids should not be out late frequently, as 
it is injurious to the health to sit up late at 
night when the work undertaken requires 
early rising. No maid can do her work and 
keep her health unless she has suJEcient sleep. 

CORRECTIONS BY EMPLOYER 

The laundress should pay no attention to the 
reports of criticisms overheard by other em- 
ployees. Such criticisms are usually incorrectly 
reported and often distorted by jealousy and 
exaggeration. The employer will make neces- 
sary criticisms and suggestions herself. 

The inexperienced laundress should expect 
to be frequently corrected while she is being 
taught how to do her work. She naturally 
will make mistakes because of her unfamiliarity 
with her new duties. 

When the laundress makes stupid or careless 
mistakes she should not resent a just reprimand 
by her employer. Household work is not 
different from other branches of work in this 
respect. Young women working in hospitals, 
offices, and stores are also reprimanded in the 
same way when they make mistakes. 

After a correction of this kind, the laundress 
should never be glum or say that she is going 



10 THE LAUNDRESS 

to leave. It is much better to try to please 
the employer than to change places constantly. 

The laundress should welcome suggestions 
and corrections because they perfect her in 
her work. The best household employees 
are those who have been trained by an employer 
who required her employees to maintain a high 
standard. 

It is impossible to find anyone who does 
every part of her work perfectly, and no one 
expects it, but there is no laundress so experi- 
enced that she cannot learn something new 
about laundry work. This is true of all trades 
and professions. 

If the laundress breaks or injures anything 
in the house, she should inform her employer 
as soon as possible. The employer will 
appreciate the employee's coming and telling 
her frankly of the accident. 

HOW COMPLAINTS SHOULD BE MADE 

If the laundress does not find her sur- 
roundings congenial and is discontented, it is 
better for her to leave than to upset the 
household by making constant complaints or 
criticisms to the other employees. Although 
the other employees may listen to criticisms of 
the employer, they will not respect the maid 
who makes them. As long as the maid is 
receiving wages, food, and shelter she should 
not talk behind the employer's back, but if 
she has any complaint to make she should 
tell it to the employer. 



THE LAUNDRESS 11 

WHEN A MAID SHOULD LEAVE 

Under ordinary circumstances a maid should 
not leave without giving her employer proper 
notice. 

But when a maid finds she has engaged to 
work in a house which is in any measure used 
for immoral purposes, or when she finds herself 
in a house where any man in the household is 
unduly familiar, or when she finds she has to 
sleep with a woman addicted to the habit of 
drink or drugs, then she should leave at once, 
the sooner the better. 

WHEN A MAID SHOULD BE DISMISSED 

Under ordinary circumstances, before dis- 
missing a maid, the employer gives her the 
customary notice or pays a certain amount 
in advance. But when a maid is found 
intoxicated or drugged, or refuses to do work 
she has been engaged to do, or speaks insult- 
ingly to her employer or other member of the 
family, then the sooner the house is relieved 
of her presence the better for the family and 
the other employees. 

BOOKS OF REFERENCE FOR THE LAUNDRESS 

If the laundress is ambitious to study in 
detail the treatment of various fabrics and 
further perfect herself in her trade, the follow- 
ing books will be found useful. 



12 THE LAUNDRESS 

Laundering, by L. Ray Balderston, In- 
structor of Laundering, Teachers 
College, Columbia University, New 
York City $1.25 

A Teachers' Manual of Elementary 
Laundry Work, by Fanny L. Calder, 
Liverpool Technical College for 
Women, and E. E. Mann .... $0.30 

DUTIES OF LAUNDRESS BEFORE BREAKFAST 

The laundress should be up in the morning 
about an hour before breakfast. A great deal 
of important work may be done at that time, 
which will prevent overcrowding the work in 
the few hours between breakfast and the noon 
meal. 

The laundress should never try to wash 
until she has had breakfast, but the daily 
cleaning of the laundry and any other room 
in her care may be done before breakfast. 

Daily Cleaning of Laundry — Before starting 
to give the laundry its daily cleaning the laun- 
dress should cover all clothes that may have 
been left airing on clotheshorses, or place them 
in baskets and cover them, ready to be taken 
upstairs. 

The windows should be opened and the 
laundry stove cleared of ashes, if a coal stove 
is used, a fire made and the top of the stove 
cleaned, if necessary. The coal hod should 
be filled with fresh coal ready to use. 

The laundry floors should be brushed up 
and any spots removed with a mop or floor 



THE LAUNDRESS 13 

cloth. The shelves, window sills and furniture 
should be dusted. All empty bottles, boxes, 
and all cloths should be disposed of. 

After the laundry is cleaned for the day 
the laundress should put away the brooms, 
dustpan, etc., and then look over the laundry 
equipment to see if she has everything in 
readiness for the day's work. 

EQUIPMENT FOR LAUNDRY 

The equipment of a laundry varies in 
different households. 

The laundress has entire charge of all tools 
and utensils used in the laundry and should 
keep everything she finds in her department in 
order and in its place. She should inform 
her employer a short while before any supply 
is used up, such as soap or blueing, and notify 
her at once when any article is broken. The 
laundress should pin on the wall where she 
can refer to them, the printed directions that 
come with various machines made for laundry 
work. These machines are expensive and re- 
quire intelligent care to keep them in order. 

Tools and Utensils. — The following long list 
shows the laundress the number and variety of 
utensils and tools she may find in a laundry. 

The equipment of laundries varies accord- 
ing to the needs of the household, and each em- 
ployer has preferences in regard to makes of 
stoves and machines, etc. 

In many households various utensils such as 
measuring quarts, pails, mops, etc., are bor- 



14 THE LAUNDRESS 

rowed by the laundress from the kitchen 
supply. 

If the laundress is competent, she can produce 
excellent results with plenty of hot water and 
soap, in addition to only a small list of utensils 
and tools; but if she finds a laundry filled 
with every convenience and modern device, 
then she should make a thorough study of all 
the appliances, and keep them in order, using 
them with care and intelligence, as some of 
them are very expensive. The foLowing is a 
list of various laundry tools and uteijslls: 

Wooden or galvanized tubs, or 

Stationary tubs, or hand or electric washing 
machines. 

Hand or electric wringers. 

Hand or electric mangles, sometimes called 
flat wash ironers. 

Ironing table. 

Skirt boards, shirt board, and sleeve board, 

Clotheshorses, clothes baskets and clothes 
hamper. 

Clothesline, clothespins, clothespin bag or bas- 
ket, and clothes prop. 

Clothes drainer, clothes boiler and clothes stick. 

Washboard, zinc or glass. 

Dipper and pail. 

Large sauce pan or double boiler and strainer 
jor starch, 

Floor mop or floor cloth. 

Curtain stretchers. 

Thermometer — for testing water in washing 
silks and wool. 



THE LAUNDRESS 15 

Irons: Flat or sad irons, electric irons, gas 

irons, kerosene irons, alcohol irons, and 

fluting and goffering irons. 
Iron stands and asbestos mat. 
Quart measure and one half pint measure. 
Sprinkler, to sprinkle clothes, or clean corn 

brush. 
Teakettle, for boiling water for starch, 
Soap dishes. 
Tablespoon, teaspoon, wooden spoon and knife 

to cut soap. 
Fringe brush, corn brush and scrub brush. 
Tape measure, a pair of scissors, and pins. 
Glass jars, for soap solutions, salt, borax, 

paraffine, etc.. 
Piece of tape, to tie up blueing balls and bees- 
wax, and to sew on ironing sheets to attach 

to boards. 
Silence cloth or blanket, to pad ironing table 

and skirt boards. 
Silence cloth or flannel pad, on which to iron 

embroidery, 
Domet flannel, in which to tie blueing balls 

and on which to wipe irons to protect 

ironing sheet. 
Cheese cloth to dampen dry spots while ironing. 
Ironing sheets, for table and boards. 
White enamel sheet for protecting table when 

sprinkling clothes. 
Colored dust sheets, to protect ironing table 

from dust. 
Colored slip covers, to protect skirt board from 

dust. 



16 THE LAUNDRESS 

Dish pan, for washing utensils, and to use in 
lifting clothes from boiler to tub, 

Dishcloth, dishtowels and iron holders. 

Supplies. — The laundry supplies should be 
kept neatly arranged on a shelf or in a closet. 
When the laundress takes pride in her work, 
these closets or shelves for supplies will look 
quite as attractive as the kitchen closet, butler's 
pantry, or sewing room closet. 

When the soap is bought in large quantities, 
it should be removed from the box and stored 
away to dry, piling the cakes neatly so as to 
permit the air to circulate around them, 
somewhat in the way that children build 
block houses. The wrappers, if there are 
any, should be removed and disposed of and 
not left lying about. 

Unless soap is dried it dissolves very quickly, 
which is wasteful, and more soap will be used 
than is needed. 

The following is a list of supplies used in the 
laundry : 

Laundry soap, in bars, cakes, chips or in 
liquid form. 

White soap {a mild neutral soap). 

Starch, corn, wheat, rice or prepared starch, 

Paraffine to use in mixing starch. 

Salt, to set color and use in soaking handker- 
chiefs, and beeswax to clean irons 

Borax and ammonia, to soften water. 

Oil in small oil can, to oil machinery. 



THE LAUNDRESS 17 

WEEKLY CLEANING OF LAUNDRY AND 
CARE OF ITS EQUIPMENT 

The laundry should be kept scrupulously 
clean, and, in addition to its daily cleaning, 
the laundry and its equipment and supplies 
should be given especial attention once a 
week. 

The laundress should first open the windows 
and then cover all clothes hanging on clothes- 
horses, or remove them from the laundry. 

Laundry Closet. — If there is a laundry closet, 
this should be cleaned first. The shelves should 
be cleaned with a damp cloth, except where 
the soap is piled. That shelf is cleaned only 
after the soap is used up, before arranging afresh 
supply. All supplies should be arranged neatly 
on the shelves and a list kept of any supplies 
needed to give the employer when she comes to 
inspect the laundry. 

After the closet is cleaned and the door 
closed, the laundress should next clean the 
laundry stove. There are a variety of laundry 
stoves such as those heated by coal, wood, gas 
and electricity. All stoves should be kept 
dry to prevent their rusting and clean to pre- 
vent soiling the irons and also to preserve 
their good appearance. 

Coal Laundry Stove. — When a coal stove 
is used, the ashes should first be removed 
from the fire box and ash pan. The stove 
should be brushed, and if it is not clean 
it should be washed with soap and water. 



18 THE LAUNDRESS 

When there is rust on the stove it may 
be removed by moistening with paraffine 
or cottonseed oil mixed with bathbrick, 
rottenstone or other scouring powder. To 
prevent rust it is well to wipe the stove occa- 
sionally when not in use with paraffine or 
cottonseed oil. 

The black stove polish should not be put 
on that part of the laundry stove where the 
irons are placed to heat. 

After the inside and outside of the stove 
are cleaned, then any nickle trimming should 
be polished with either whiting moistened 
with alcohol, bon ami, or some nickle polish. 
The laundress when using a coal stove should 
be careful not to put in too much coal; the 
fire box should never be filled so high that 
the coal comes above the lining of the fire- 
box. The drafts should be carefully regu- 
lated, closing them when the fresh fuel has 
burned up. The top of the stove should never 
be allowed to become red hot or the coal burned 
to a white heat. 

Gas Laundry Stove. — When a gas stove is 
used, it should be kept clean and dry to keep 
its good appearance and to prevent rust and 
the soiling of irons. When the stove is used 
only for laundry work, there is no grease to 
wash off, but the burners are apt to become 
rusty when water is spilled from the boiler 
or saucepan of starch. 

If the burners need cleaning, they should be 
removed and washed with soapy water, and 



THE LAUNDRESS 19 

then carefully dried. When there is rust it 
should be removed with paraffine oil or cotton- 
seed oil, mixed with any scouring powder 
such as rottenstone or bathbrick. To occa- 
sionally rub the burners with a cloth moistened 
with one of these oils will prevent rust. The 
parts of the stove that are not touched by the 
irons may be polished with stove blacking. 

Electric Laundry Stove. — Electric stoves 
should be kept clean and dry. Explicit 
directions for their care and use are given 
by the manufacturers and should be care- 
fully followed. 

Sweeping Laundry. — When a coal stove is 
used in a laundry, the dust from the ashes 
settles on shelves and walls, especially if the 
wall has a rough finish. If the walls are dusty, 
they may be cleaned by wiping them with a 
broom over which a cloth has been tied, or 
with a wall brush. The floor may then be 
swept and mopped up with soap and water. 
Shelves, window sills and furniture should be 
dusted. 

Laundry Tubs. — All tubs should be kept 
clean and dry with the exception of wooden 
tubs which, when left for a long time unused, 
should be left moist to prevent the wood from 
falling apart. 

If there are faucets to the tubs they should 
not be allowed to drip. If they cannot be 
turned entirely off, the laundress should report 
the condition to the employer. When there 
are nickle or brass trimmings to tubs or wash- 



20 THE LAUNDRESS 

ing machines, they should be cleaned and 
polished with whiting moistened with ammonia 
or some nickle polish. 

Stoppers to tubs should be attached to 
the chains so that they will not be lost. It 
is a great inconvenience to the laundress to 
be without a stopper and it inconveniences the 
employer to be constantly purchasing new ones. 

Washing Machines. — There are many va- 
rieties of washing machines, some that are run 
by hand and some run by electricity or other 
power. All the machines should be kept clean 
and dry. Belts should not be allowed to be- 
come loose, as this wastes the power. The 
machine should be kept oiled. It is very im- 
portant that the laundress should not over- 
crowd the machine, as it will be strained and 
injured if too many clothes are placed in it. 

Wringers. — There are wringers of different 
kinds, some that are run by hand, others that 
are attached to washing machines and run by 
electricity or other power. 

The wringer should be kept very clean and 
dry; the screws holding the rollers should be 
loosened when the wringer is not in use. If 
there are two screws to tighten and loosen the 
roller, both should be turned at the same 
time, one with each hand, to keep an even 
pressure. 

The rubber rollers should be washed with 
soap and water, and if they are stained a little 
kerosene oil on a cloth will clean them, but 
the kerosene must be carefully washed off 



THE LAUNDRESS 21 

afterwards as it will soften the rubber. The 
mechanical parts of the wringer should be 
kept well oiled. 

Mangles. — There are different kinds of 
mangles, those that are run by hand and those 
that are run by electricity or other power. The 
cold mangle is run by hand; this presses the 
clothes without giving them a gloss. There is a 
hot mangle, heated by gas. This mangle has 
one hot cylinder and one cloth-covered cylin- 
der. There are also electrically heated mangles. 

The heated cylinder which is not covered 
withdoth should be cared for as the laundress 
would take care of a flat iron; it should be 
waxed and kept clean and smooth. 

The mangle should be cared for in a similar 
way as the wringer; the screws should be 
loosened in the same way when not in use, 
and it should be kept well oiled. It is impor- 
tant to keep the cloth-covered cylinder clean, 
and a dust sheet should be laid over the mangle 
when it is not in use. 

There are always explicit directions for the 
use and care of mangles which should be kept 
pinned on the wall in the laundry. 

Irons. — There are a great variety of irons, 
and the laundress should understand the care 
and use of each. 

The flat or sad irons, which are made in 
different sizes and weights, are most frequently 
found in laundries and are used for general 
ironing. The large heavy ones are used for 
ironing stiff cuffs and large, heavy pieces, such 



22 THE LAUNDRESS 

as sheets. There are irons that have ad- 
justable handles, which require no iron holders. 
There are small pointed irons called ruffling 
irons which are also used for ironing sleeves 
and small pieces. 

There are irons called polishing irons with 
honeycombed bottoms, used for polishing 
cuffs and collars. 

Electric irons vary in make and size. There 
are also irons heated by gas and alcohol. 

There are fluting irons of different kinds; 
one is shaped similar to a flat iron with a 
grooved bottom and with a stand also grooved; 
another is made similar to a wringer with two 
grooved cylinders. The material to be fluted 
is placed between the grooves. 

The laundress should understand how to 
keep irons of all varieties clean and in order. 

Flat or sad irons when sticky may be washed 
in soapy water, or if necessary scoured with 
cleanser, rinsed, dried and then rubbed with 
wax, first heating the iron a little, after which 
they should be dusted with salt or powdered 
bathbrick, wiped and put away. 

Electric or self-heating irons when sticky 
should not be put in soap and water but 
cleaned by heating the iron, rubbing with wax, 
then dusted with salt or powdered bathbrick, 
wiped with dry cloth and put away. 

Clothes Hampers. — There are several kinds 
of clothes hampers. They are usually made 
either of enameled fibre, wicker, or metal. As 
the clothes hamper is used for soiled clothes, 



THE LAUNDRESS 23 

it is important to wash it thoroughly inside 
as well as outside to keep it clean. The fibre 
and metal hampers are simply washed with 
soap and water and dried, leaving the cover 
open to be sure it dries thoroughly. 

Wicker hampers should be brushed and 
scrubbed with salt and water, which puri- 
fies the basket. If soap is used it is better 
to use it in solution. When it is possible 
to use a bath spray or hose, the hamper may 
be sprayed, which is an easy way to clean it. 
When there is a cotton lining for the hamper, 
this should be removed when soiled to be 
washed and a fresh lining tied in its place. 

Clothes Baskets. — Clothes baskets used to 
carry clothes to the yard and to pack clothes 
in when dampened for ironing are usually 
made of wicker, as they are light in weight. 
Some are made of fibre, and these are 
usually on wheels as they are rather heavy 
to carry. These clothes baskets should be 
washed in the manner described for washing 
the soiled clothes hampers. 

It is well to place clean brown or white 
paper in the bottom of the clothes basket. 
Newspaper should not be used, as the printer's 
ink may come off on the clothes. 

Clothespins. — The clothespins most usually 
found in a laundry are the simple wooden ones, 
although there are a variety of more compli- 
cated inventions. When there is any metal on 
the clothespins, the laundress should be very 
careful that they do not become rusty. 



24 THE LAUNDRESS 

All clothespins should be kept clean and 
dry. 

When clothespins are kept in a small bas- 
ket, this should be covered unless there is a 
closet where it may be placed to be out of 
the dust. When clothespins are kept in a 
bag this should be washed when soiled. 

Ironing Sheets. — Ironing sheets should be 
removed when soiled from the ironing table and 
skirt boards. There is no occasion for the 
scorching of the ironing sheets if the laun- 
dress is careful to protect the part where 
she tests the heat of the iron with several 
pieces of hea\y brown paper or an asbestos 
mat and a clean cotton cloth. 

The ironing table and skirt boards should 
be protected from dust. Skirt boards are 
sometimes kept in a closet. When an enamel 
cloth cover is used to spread over the padded 
ironing table while sprinkling clothes, this 
may be used as a dust sheet. If both a dust 
sheet and enameled cloth are provided, the 
enameled cloth should be kept rolled to prevent 
its cracking. 

Clotheshorses. — The laundress should keep 
the clotheshorses free from dust, and once a 
week wash and wipe them with soap and water, 
drying them thoroughly. 

Clothes Boiler. — All clothes boilers should be 
left clean and dry after using, and it is better 
to stand the separate boiler on its side with 
the cover off to thoroughly dry the crevices and 
to prevent rust. Boilers made of copper should 



THE LAUNDRESS 25 

be polished at the time the laundry is given its 
weekly cleaning. 

Washboards. — Washboards should be kept 
clean and always wiped thoroughly, as they 
will drip on the floor or the shelf when put 
away if not carefully dried. The laundress 
should be careful not to drop a glass wash- 
board and should examine often a metal wash- 
board to see if there are any rough edges that 
might tear the clothes. 

Small Utensils. — After the laundry shelf is 
washed the various small utensils, such as the 
dipper, quart measure, bowls, etc., should be 
washed, dried, and arranged neatly. 

FORMULAS FOR CLEANING AND POLISHING 
METALS 

Copper and Brass. — Any of the following 
may be used: 

Whiting moistened with vinegar or lemon 
juice, or 

Rottenstone moistened with oil, or 

Any good copper or brass polish. 

Steel and Iron. — Powdered bathbrick. 

Moisten a raw potato, dip in powder, and 
polish; then wash the article in soap and water. 

Tin. — Dissolve J cup of soda in 2 quarts of 
boiling water; place the piece of tin in this 
solution for a few minutes; remove it and then 
wash in soap and water and wipe dry. 

Aluminum. — Wash with soap and hot water, 
rinse, rub dry and place empty upon hot stove 
for a few seconds to dry quickly and thoroughly. 



26 THE LAUNDRESS 

Sifted coal or wood ashes make a good 
scouring powder for aluminum ware. 

Caution: Never boil alkalies such as soda, 
potash, ammonia, washing powders, or cheap 
soaps in an aluminum utensil. These sub- 
stances discolor and injure the metal. 

The outside surface can be kept looking 
bright by using any good metal polish that is 
not gritty. 

DAY PLANNED FOR WASHING 

Each employer plans the week's work in 
the laundry to suit the requirements of her 
household. 

In some households the laundress washes 
twice a week; in most households once a week. 

ARRANGING WORK FOR WASHING 

The work should be arranged according to 
the different kinds of clothes to be washed and 
the different equipment used for washing them. 
Each laundress should carefully plan her work 
so as to complete the washing and ironing on 
time and also so as to save herself unnecessary 
labor. 

When a washing machine is used in the 
laundry that runs by power, the laundress can 
use the time while the clothes are being washed 
mechanically to make starch or attend to some- 
thing else. 

The large pieces such as sheets and bed 
spreads should be washed first, when the drying 
is done out of doors, as they take longer to dry. 



THE LAUNDRESS 27 

Colored clothes should be dried indoors, if 
there is no shady spot out of doors, so it is 
well to leave them to be washed until after the 
clothes which must have sun have been washed 
and hung out to dry. When the clothes are 
dried in a clothes drier, the order of washing 
may be different, as it is not important whether 
the large pieces are done first or not. 

ASSORTING CLOTHES 

The clothes and linen should be carefully 
assorted after they are taken to the laundry. 
The clothes should be looked over carefully, 
not only to assort them in separate piles but 
to lay aside any piece that requires mending 
before it is washed, or any piece that has a 
stain which should have special treatment. 

The variety of clothes and fabrics differ in 
each household. 

The laundress should know how to launder 
all the articles in the following list, as she will 
find some of them in every household, and to 
be able to launder each one of the list with 
good results shows that she is an expert. 

Groups into which clothes should be as- 
sorted. — The following shows the number of 
groups into which the clothes should be as- 
sorted before either soaking or washing: 

Table linen. 

Colored table linen. 

Dish towels. 

Bed linen, towels, white table covers and 
bureau scarfs. 



i THE LAUNDRESS 

White cotton nightgowns and pajamas ; cotton 
and linen underwear^ including cotton and 
lisle knit underwear; white cotton and lisle 
stockings may be placed in this pile. 

Black stockings and socks. 

Colored stockings and socks. 

White linen, cotton, and muslin dresses ; boys* 
white suits and mens and boys* white 
shirts and collars; white aprons. 

Mens and boys* colored shirts; women*s and 
children s colored dresses. 

Small fine pieces, such as muslin and lace 
cuffs and collars; baby caps, bibs, wash 
gloves, chiffon scarfs and ribbons. 

White flannel nightgowns, pajamas and petti- 
coats; white wool stockings; white wool or 
cotton and wool or silk and wool under- 
wear. 

Colored flannel wrappers and waists. 

Crocheted and knitted goods. 

White silk and crepe wrappers, white silk 
waists. 

White silk stockings, white silk gloves and 
white silk underwear. 

Colored wash silk dresses, colored silk waists 
and wrappers. 

Colored silk underwear and colored silk 
stockings. 

Handkerchiefs. 

Corduroy skirts and suits. 

Dusters and cloths. 

Baby diapers. 

Corsets. 



THE LAUNDRESS 29 

Dress shields. 

Lace and muslin curtains. 

Blankets and comfortables. 

SOAKING CLOTHES 

The employer will direct as to the length of 
time she wishes her clothes soaked; some pre- 
fer to have them soaked over night, and some 
prefer that they should be soaked only a few 
hours before washing. The method of soaking 
depends very much upon the condition of the 
clothes and the kind of water and soap used. 

Table linen does not require soaking for 
two reasons; it is seldom much soiled and 
frequently has stains which often need special 
attention. 

When there are only two tubs, the bed linen 
and cotton and linen underclothes may be 
soaked in one tub. But if there are three tubs, 
it is more convenient to place the bed linen in 
one and the underclothes in the other. One 
tub should be kept for rinsing and blueing. 

Besides the tubs there is usually in the 
laundry a pail, large basin and a starch bowl. 
These three receptacles may be used for soak- 
ing small articles: the dishtowels placed in the 
large basin with cold soapy water, the hand- 
kerchiefs in the bowl with warm water in which 
a little salt or borax has been dissolved and 
the dusters and cloths placed in the floor pail 
with warm soapy water to which a little soda 
or ammonia has been added, if they are very 
much soiled. 



30 THE LAUNDRESS 

Baby diapers are usually brought from the 
nursery in the diaper pail in which they have 
been soaking. If the diapers cannot be 
washed right away, the water in the pail 
should be turned out and fresh soapy warm 
water poured on the diapers. 

Clothes that should never be soaked. — The 
laundress should never soak the following 
clothes : 

Colored clothes, 

Black and colored stockings. 

Woolens or combinations of wool with other 
materials. 

White silk or colored silk garments. 

Silk or wool knitted goods, and 

Colored table linen. 

After assorting the clothes that do not 
require soaking, they should be rolled in 
bundles and placed in a basket or put out of 
the way until they can be washed. 

The clothes should never be left lying about 
on the floor. 

Soaping Clothes to Soak. — When placing 
clothes in a tub to soak, first allow a few inches 
of lukewarm water to run into the tub; then 
wet one piece at a time, lay it out against the 
inside of the tub or against the washboard 
and rub it over with the soap ; then roll so the 
part soaped is inside and pack in the bottom of 
the tub. When the tub is filled with the clothes 
rolled in this way, lukewarm water should be 
poured in to cover them. 

It may take a little longer to soak the 



THE LAUNDRESS 31 

clothes in this way, but as it makes the washing 
easier, more time is saved in the end. 

WASHING 

The laundress should be interested in wash- 
ing the clothes clean, removing all dirt and 
spots, but she should never injure the material 
by using strong powder or chemicals. She 
should be careful not to tear or injure fine 
materials in her effort to wash them clean. 

The laundress should always see that the 
water is the correct temperature for the kind 
of material she is washing. Directions for 
washing different articles and different fabrics 
are given in detail under separate headings. 

Washing with Washi7ig Machine. — Ma- 
chines may be used for soaking, rinsing 
and blueing as well as washing. Those that 
have attachments to the water and drainage 
pipes make changing the water very easy. 

When the laundress is ready to wash the 
clothes in the machine, she should first place 
in the machine the number of sheets, pillow 
cases or towels indicated by the directions to 
be its capacity, and never under any circum- 
stances put in more. If the directions for 
operating the machine give six sheets as its 
capacity, the laundress should know how many 
pillow cases and towels are the equivalent. 

The capacity is usually stated to be so many 
sheets. One full sized table cloth equals one 
sheet; four or five towels equal one sheet; 
four shirts equal one sheet; ten napkins equal 



32 THE LAUNDRESS 

one sheet. Small pieces such as handker- 
chiefs may be placed in a net bag (which is 
made for this purpose) and the bag put in 
the washing machine. 

BOILING 

The clothes that require boiling should be 
boiled after they are washed. 

The boiler should be filled half full with 
cold water and enough shaved soap or soap 
solution placed in the water to make a good 
suds. The laundress should be careful not 
to put too many clothes in the boiler; good 
results cannot be obtained if the boiler is 
jammed full of clothes. The clothes are 
stirred in the boiler with the clothes stick, 
and after the water has come to a boil they 
may boil about ten minutes. If there is a 
clothes drainer the clothes may be laid on 
this drainer, which fits over one end of the 
boiler, and in this way most of the soapy water 
may be drained off before the clothes are 
placed in the first rinsing water. 

RINSING 

Rinsing is an important part of the washing 
of clothes. If there is plenty of hot water it 
is a good plan to have the first rinsing water 
hot; then rinse with cool water. Two rinsings 
are always necessary and sometimes three 
are required, if the articles are much soiled. 



THELAUNDRESS 33 

BLUEING 

It is very important that the soap should be 
thoroughly rinsed from the clothes before 
blueing, as the prussian blue, which is often 
used, has so much iron in its composition that 
when soapy clothes are placed in this blue 
the result is that rust spots appear on the 
clothes. Prussian blue is usually in liquid 
form and is a greenish blue color. 

Another kind of blue frequently used is 
ultramarine blue. This comes usually in balls 
or lumps. A few of these balls may be tied in 
a piece of cloth. The ultramarine is a bright 
blue and as it is insoluble and the clothes are 
tinted by the tiny particles of powder, it should 
be stirred thoroughly when placing the clothes 
in the solution so that these particles will not 
settle at the bottom of the tub, or in streaks 
on the clothes. 

When aniline blue is used, it is generally pre- 
pared by the employer as it is bought in powder 
or crystal and has to be bottled to use. One 
haK ounce of aniline blue may be dissolved in 
one half gallon of water which will fill two one- 
quart bottles. Aniline blue, being a dye, must 
be used in weaker solution for blueing clothes 
than other blueings. 

It is best to mix blueing of any kind in a 
small basin and then pour it into the tub a 
little at a time until the whole tub is the right 
color. This prevents wasting the blue, as the 
whole tubful may be made too deep a color. 



34 THE LAUNDRESS 

if the blueing is mixed in the tub. When 
using blueing balls, which are tied in a piece 
of flannel, they should be dipped in a small 
basin until the water is a dark blue, then pour 
from the basin into the tub. Scoop from the 
tub, with the hand, a little of the blueing 
water. If it looks a sky blue the laundress 
will know that it is the correct blue for the 
clothes, with the exception of table linen, as it 
is a looser weave, which requires a little lighter 
blue. Clothes should never be left in blueing 
water; they should be wrung out at once and 
placed in the basket ready to be dried. 

WRINGING 

A clean cloth should be run through the 
wringer to make sure that the rollers are clean 
before wringing any linen or clothes that have 
been washed. 

The laundress should adjust the rollers of 
the wringer by tightening the screws. If 
there are two screws she should turn them 
both at the same time, using both hands. 
The tightness of the rollers depends upon what 
kinds of material are to be wrung. They 
should be loosened for table linen, as it creases 
more easily than cotton or muslin. When 
wringing woolens the screws should be loosened 
even more than for table linen, as woolens are 
much heavier materials. 

Wringing Clothes with Buttons. — The laun- 
dress should know how to protect buttons on 
underclothes and other garments when they 



THE LAUNDRESS 35 

are put through a wringer. If the inexperi- 
enced laundress reahzed the time and trouble 
required to sew on buttons that have been 
wrung off in a wringer, she would take pains 
to fold the garment so that the buttons were 
inside and protected from the rollers when 
placed in the wringer. Some experienced 
laundresses hold the garments out straight 
as they are going through the wringer, which 
also prevents breaking or pulling off the 
buttons. 

STARCHING 

When the laundress makes the starch, she 
should have all clothes requiring starch washed 
and ready, so that she will not be obliged to 
make it but once. Some clothes require thick 
starch, some medium and some thin. The 
thick starch may be made fij-st and enough 
strained into a bowl to use, the rest being 
kept hot until the laundress is ready to dilute 
it to meet the requirements of the garments 
remaining to be starched. 

There are many ways of making starch. 
Some laundresses pour boiling water on the 
starch and do not boil it, but if it is prepared 
in this way neither paraffine nor lard can be 
mixed with it, because they will not melt un- 
less the starch is boiled. 

As paraffine or lard makes the starch smooth 
and the ironing more easy, it is worth while to 
take the ten minutes extra time required to 
boil the starch. 



36 THE LAUNDRESS 

Recipes for Starch. — The following are recipes 
for making the different grades of starch. 

Thick Starch 

1 quart of water, 

J teaspoonful of borax, 

1 teaspoonful of paraffine or lard, 

3 table spoonfuls of laundry starch (corn) or 
5 tablespoonfuls of wheat starch. 

The starch, borax and paraffine should be 
stirred thoroughly into one half pint of cold 
water; then the remainder of the quart of 
water may be added but must be boiling hot. 
The starch should boil ten or fifteen minutes, 
otherwise the paraffine or lard will not be 
melted and the starch not cooked. Strain 
and use hot. 

This recipe for thick starch is used for 
starching clothes that should be very stiff, 
such as men's cuffs and collars, and bosoms 
to men's shirts. 

Medium Starch 

2 quarts of water, 

1 teaspoonful of borax, 

J teaspoonful of paraffine or lard, 

3 tablespoonfuls of laundry starch {corn) or 
Jf. tablespoonfuls of wheat starch. 

To make this starch, put 1 cup of cold water 
in a saucepan, add starch, borax and paraffine; 
stir and then add the rest of the water, which 



THE LAUNDRESS 37 

should be boiling hot. Stir until boiling and 
allow to boil about ten minutes. Strain and 
use hot. 

This recipe may be used for starching 
underwear, aprons or children's gingham suits 
or dresses. 

When there is starch left from this recipe 
and the laundress has some very delicate 
pieces of lingerie, net or muslin collars to 
stiffen which require clear starch, then she 
may dilute with hot water or make clear 
starch from the following recipe. 

Clear Starch 

1 quart of water, 

i teaspoonful of borax, 

J teaspoonful of paraffine or lard, 

I tahlespoonful of laundry starch (corn) or 

1 tahlespoonful of wheat starch or rice. 

To make this starch put 1 cup of cold water 
in a saucepan, add the starch, borax and paraf- 
fine or lard; stir and then add the remaining 
1 J pints of boiling water. Stir until boiling and 
allow it to boil about ten minutes. Strain and 
use hot. 

This recipe may be used for fine muslin and 
lace that require very slight stiffening. 

Pieces starched by this recipe need not be 
dried but simply rolled in a cloth and laid in 
the basket to iron. 



38 THE LAUNDRESS 

Cold Starch 

1 quart of water, 

2\ tablespoonfuls of starch (com), 

i teaspoonful of borax. 

Blend the starch with one haK of the water 
cold, then dissolve the borax in the rest of 
the water heated and pour both parts together. 
This may be used at once. 

Cold starch may also be made with prepared 
starch, as follows: 

^§ tablespoonfuls of prepared starch stirred in 
1 quart of warm water. 

This amount is sufficient for starching the 
cuffs and front pleat of eight men's shirts. 

The settlings of cold starch which are found 
in the bowl, when more starch is made than 
needed, may be used again in making cold 
starch or boiled starch. 

Gum Arabic 

1 quart of water, 

1 tablespoonful of gum arabic. 

To make this recipe place the gum arabic 
in the saucepan and pour on the water which 
should be boiling hot. When the gum arabic 
is dissolved it should be strained through a 
very fine strainer or cheesecloth. If it is not 
to be used at once it may be bottled and kept 
to use at some other time. 

This recipe for stiffening clothes may be 



THE LAUNDRESS 39 

used for silks and dark materials, such as 
ginghams, organdies, etc., whereas the white 
starch, if used, might leave white streaks. 

DRYING 

Whatever the clothes are hung on should 
be clean. The laundress should wipe clean 
the clotheslines, clotheshorses and clothes 
driers. 

Only clean clothespins should be used, and 
the clothes should be firmly attached to the 
lines so that they will not blow off. The 
methods of hanging the different kinds of 
clothes are described under separate headings. 

Clothes Driers. — When a clothes drier, 
heated by gas or other means, is used, it is 
important to hang the clothes very carefully 
over the bars, if there is no way of attaching 
them. The clothes should be hung evenly so 
half of the piece will fall on one side of the 
bar and half on the other side. 

Care should be taken not to jerk or slam the 
frame when pushing it in and out of the drier, 
as the small pieces are apt to fall off and be 
soiled or scorched. If the frame has a number 
of bars from side to side, it is safer (if the 
heated coils are on the sides) to place the 
large heavy pieces such as sheets and bath- 
towels on the outside bars, as their weight 
will prevent their blowing out against the 
heated coils and the inside bars may be used 
for small, light pieces. 

When the drier is heated by gas jets in the 



40 THE LAUNDRESS 

floor of the heater, it is very important to take 
care that the clothes do not fall off the bars. 

Drying Clothes on Rainy Days. — When 
the weather is rainy and the clothes cannot 
be hung out, the laundress should plan her 
work for this emergency, which comes so 
frequently, in such a way as to complete her 
laundry work at the usual time. 

The laundress should, of course, first wash 
the clothes that are soaking. She should 
wash the smaller pieces first so they may be 
drying on the clotheshorses or lines in the 
laundry or drying room while she is washing 
the large pieces that may have to remain in 
the rinsing water to be blued and hung out the 
first thing the next morning, if the weather 
permits. After washing the clothes that are 
soaking, the laundress may wash the colored 
clothes, which are frequently dried in the house 
anyway, and then the flannels and stockings. 
If there is room to hang any more articles in 
the house the smaller pieces of table linen may 
then be washed. 

DAMPENING 

The laundress should see that the table 
upon which she dampens the clothes is clean. 
She may use an uncovered clean wooden topped 
table or, if the table is covered with an ironing 
sheet, a piece of enamel cloth may be laid over 
the sheet. 

A corn brush or sprinkler may be used to 
sprinkle the clothes or the laundress may 



THE LAUNDRESS 41 

sprinkle them by dipping her hand in a bowl 
of water, in which case the water should be 
lukewarm to prevent chilling her hand. 

After dampening each large piece or a number 
of small pieces, they should be rolled up and 
packed in a basket and covered until the 
laundress is ready to iron them. Small pieces 
of the same kind, such as handkerchiefs or 
towels, should be rolled each in a bundle of 
its own kind. 

More explicit directions for the dampening 
of the various articles to be laundered will be 
given under separate headings. 

IRONING 

The laundress should prepare the table or 
skirt board for ironing. If a clean ironing 
sheet is needed it should be tied or pinned 
firmly to the table or board. She should have 
ready a rest upon which to place the iron, 
pieces of paper or cloth upon which to test 
the heat of the irons, a small bowl of water for 
extra dampening and to remove any small 
spots, a piece of beeswax or paraffine in a cloth, 
and clean hot irons. 

More explicit directions for the ironing of 
the various articles to be laundered will be 
given under separate headings. 

AIRING CLOTHES 

The laundress should be very careful to 
thoroughly air all clothes and bed linen before 
taking them upstairs to be put away. 



42 THE LAUNDRESS 

It is dangerous to the health to wear damp 
clothing that has not been properly aired. 
It is also dangerous to sleep in damp sheets. 
Damp table napkins are extremely disagreeable 
to use, and all table linen should be ironed per- 
fectly dry to look well. 

Clothes or linen if put away damp may 
mildew and be ruined. 

There is seldom any place to hang and air 
clothes upstairs, and if they are sent up damp 
they will have to be sent back again to the 
laundry to be aired and dried. 

BED LINEN AND TOWELS 

Washing Bed Linen and Towels. — WTien the 
laundress starts to wash the clothes that are 
soaking she should begin with the tub of large 
pieces, such as sheets and towels. She should 
first let out the soaking water and fill the tub 
half full of hot water which, when mixed with 
the cold water clinging to the clothes, will be the 
right temperature for her hands. If there is 
soap solution made and ready to use, enough of 
it should be added to make a good suds. The 
water should be kept warm by adding more 
hot water when necessary. If the water needs 
softening, either borax or ammonia may be used. 

The soap is rubbed on the clothes and they 
are rubbed on the washboard, if necessary. 

When washing bed linen the laundress should 
select the parts most soiled and give them 
special attention, such as the upper hems of 
sheets and the centre of the pillow cases. 



THE LAUNDRESS 43 

When the linen is embroidered, the laundress 
should be careful not to rub the embroidery 
on the washboard. 

The water that the clothes are being washed 
in should be changed as often as it becomes 
dirty, as clothes cannot be washed clean in 
dirty water. 

After the clothes are washed they should 
be wrung and placed in the boiler to boil, if 
they are to be boiled. The boiler should be 
half filled with cold water and enough soap 
shavings or soap solution should be added to 
make a good suds. The clothes should come 
to a boil and then be allowed to boil five or 
ten minutes. Each employer will direct 
whether the clothes are to be boiled. 

Rinsing Bed Linen and Towels. — When 
the bed linen and towels have been washed, 
they should be thoroughly rinsed, first in 
hot water, if the laundress has a good 
supply, and then in luke warm water. When 
entirely free from soapy water, they should 
be placed in cool blueing water, which need 
not be so cold as to be uncomfortable after 
having the hands in hot water. 

Wringing Bed Linen and Towels. — The 
wringer, of course, should be clean and in 
order, ready for use. The screws should be 
turned to regulate the rollers to suit the clothes 
to be wrung, turning both screws at the same 
time with two hands. The laundress should 
run a clean cloth through first, and then fold 
or hold the linen so that it will be of an even 



44 THE LAUNDRESS 

thickness, with as few creases as possible. 
The wringer should not be strained by letting 
a piece go through that is bunched on one side. 

The bed linen and towels should then 
be placed in the basket to be taken to dry. 

Drying Bed Linen and Towels. — If the 
linen is hung out of doors, the clothes line, 
should be wiped with a clean damp cloth. 

The flat pieces should be hung as evenly and 
straight as possible so they may be more easily 
ironed in their proper shapes. 

The sheets and bed linen should not be 
hung by the corners as the weight strains them, 
but about one third of the material should 
be hung over the line. This method should 
be used in hanging all flat pieces. 

Pillow cases are turned inside out and hung 
by the closed ends, if they are hemstitched, 
to prevent tearing; otherwise, they may be 
hung by one side of the hem, which permits 
them to dry more quickly. 

The diagram on the opposite page shows the 
proper way to hang sheets, towels and hem- 
stitched pillow cases. 

Folding and Dampening Bed Linen and. 
Towels. — If the laundress dampens and folds 
the clothes carefully, she will find that the 
ironing will be more easily and quickly done. 

Each piece should be folded smoothly and 
evenly, and sprinkled as it is folded. 

When folding sheets, it is very important to 
fold them so the marking may be seen, because 
there are frequently several kinds and sizes 



THE LAUNDRES 



45 




Hemstitched Pillow Cases and Towel 
Diagram Showing How to Dry Bed Linen and Towels 

in the wash which have different markings 
to distinguish them when the clothes are put 
away in the Unen closet. 

How a sheet should be folded depends upon 
where the sheet is marked. If there are letters 
embroidered in the middle above the hem then 
the sheet should be folded in thirds with two 
creases lengthwise and then folded crosswise, 
to bring the embroidery in the centre. If the 
sheet is marked on the corner, it should be 
folded in half lengthwise and again in quar- 
ters, making three lengthwise creases, and then 



46 THE LAUNDRESS 

folded crosswise. As each fold is made the 
linen should be sprinkled. 

The laundress will find it easier to stretch 
and make the first folds in sheets and table- 
cloths with the help of one of the other maids. 

After folding and dampening, all flat pieces 
should be rolled as firmly as possible, packed in 
a basket and covered until taken out to iron. 

The hems should be turned inside when 
rolling, thereby keeping them damp, as the 
hems need especial attention in ironing, whether 
embroidered or not. 

Ironing and Folding Bed Linen and Towels. 
Flat pieces are more easily and quickly ironed 
on a large surface. When there is no table 
and a skirt board is used, the laundress should 
place the clothes basket or dust sheet on the 
floor under the skirt board to prevent the larger 
pieces from dragging on the floor while being 
ironed. 

The sheets are ironed without being fully 
unfolded and when ironed are folded in the 
same creases as when they were dampened. 

Pillow cases and towels when ironed should 
be folded in exactly the same way as sheets, 
according to the place where they are marked. 

All bed linen and towels should be ironed 
first on the wrong side and then on the right 
side. When the hnen is embroidered, a pad 
or piece of flannel should be laid under the 
embroidery to give it a raised appearance. 

The following diagrams show the methods of 
folding bed linen and towels. 



THE LAUNDRESS 



47 





48 THE LAUNDRESS 

COTTON AND LINEN UNDERWEAR 
AND NIGHTGOWNS 

Washing Cotton and Linen Underwear and 
Nightgowns. — Cotton and linen underwear and 
nightgowns are washed in the same way as the 
bed hnen and towels. They are usually soaked, 
washed in soap and hot water, boiled or 
scalded, rinsed twice and blued. When under- 
clothes are washed by hand in tubs, the water 
should be changed frequently, as described in 
the directions for washing bed linen, and, if a 
washboard is used, the fine pieces should not 
be rubbed on the board, as they will be in- 
jured. These pieces should be rubbed in the 
hands. 

When a washing machine is used, the laun- 
dress should be very careful to consult the 
directions as to the capacity of the machine 
and not crowd in more clothes than are allowed. 
Crowding will not only injure it but also will 
not produce the best results in washing. 

Starching Cotton and Linen Underwear and 
Nightgowns. — The laundress should ask her 
employer whether she wishes the underwear 
starched, and if she does whether she wishes the 
entire garment starched with a thin starch, or 
whether she prefers to have only the trimming 
of the garments starched as shown in the dia- 
gram on the opposite page. 

Wringing Cotton and Linen Underwear and 
Nightgowns. — Special care should be taken in 
wringing these garments to prevent the break- 



THE LAUNDRESS 



49 





Starch the trimming by dipping the parts indicated by the 
dotted lines in the starch. 

Diagram Showing Partial Starching 

ing and tearing off of buttons. Explicit direc- 
tions for the use of the wringer are given under 
the heading "Wringing." 

Drying Cotton and Linen Underwear and 
Nightgowns.— li the laundress is washing ma 
city, the clothes should be turned wrong side 
out as a precaution against smudging the out- 
side with coal dust while drying. 

Chemises and nightgowns should be hung 
upside down, attaching one side of the hem to 



50 



THE LAUNDRESS 



the line so as to permit the air to circulate 
through the garment and dry it more quickly. 

Petticoats and other garments should be 
hung by the binding so as not to tear the 
ruffles. 

The following diagram shows this method 
of drying. 




Diagram Showing How to Dry Cotton and Linen 
Underwear, Nightgowns and Stockings 

Dampening Cotton and Linen Underwear 
and Nightgowns. — The laundress should pre- 
pare the table as described in the directions 
under the heading "Dampening" and dampen 



THE LAUNDRESS 



51 



the clothes in the same way as the bed Hnen 
is dampened. Special care should be taken to 
sprinkle thoroughly the trimming of the gar- 
ments and to roll the trimming inside so that 
it may remain damp for ironing. 

Ironing and Folding Cotton and Linen Under- 
wear and Nightgowns. — The trimming should 
be ironed first. Embroidered trimming should 
be ironed on the wrong side so that the em- 
broidery will stand out. The sleeves and yokes 
should then be ironed and, last, the larger 
spaces. Always iron towards gathers, running 
the point of the iron into the gathers. 

The garment should be carefully folded as 
shown in the following diagrams (see also next 
page). 




<jh. 



N 




^^'i:^m 



Diagram Showing How to Fold Underweab 




Diagram Showing How 
TO Fold Nightgown 



THE LAUNDRESS 



53 



TABLE LINEN 

Washing Table Linen.— The table linen is 
usually the least soiled and should always be 
washed by itself. Never, under any circum- 
stances, should it be placed in a tub with other 
clothes or placed in a tub of water that has 
been used to wash other garments. 

Stains on Table Linen. — Beiore putting the 
table linen in the water, the laundress should 
look it over carefully to see if there are stains 
that require special attention. When she is 
not sure what the stain is, she should inquire 
of the waitress and, if she cannot tell her, the 
laundress should consult her employer. 

When the stain cannot be removed with the 
simple remedies provided in the laundry, and 
it is necessary to use a chemical, then the 
laundress should take the stained piece to the 
employer for her to decide whether she will 
use chemicals at home or send the piece to the 
cleaners. 

Chemicals used for removing stains are 
often very poisonous and when used in the 
house are kept by the employer under lock 
and key. If the laundress has access to them, 
she should follow carefully the directions for 
their use and replace each bottle after it has 
been used, always locking the cupboard and 
returning the key to her employer. 

Directions for removing different kinds of 
stains are given under a separate heading. 
After removing any stains that require 



54 THE LAUNDRESS 

special attention, the laundress may wash the 
linen with soap and hot water. The laundress 
should be careful not to rub parts that are 
embroidered on the washboard. 

The table linen should be thoroughly rinsed 
in two waters and blued in a weaker solution 
of blueing water than is used for the bed linen. 
The wringer should be loosened a little for 
table linen to prevent too much creasing of 
the linen. 

Table linen is usually not starched unless of 
thin texture, in which case a very weak starch 
may be used to give it more body. Table linen 
should be shaken and laid even on the line to 
partly dry, hanging no pieces by the corners 
but allowing one fourth or one third to hang 
over the line. 

Some employers have their table linen ironed 
wet, especially napkins, doilies, etc. It is 
important to hang a round table cloth with 
the thread of the material straight up and down 
to prevent its getting out of shape. 

The diagram on the opposite page shows 
how to hang table Unen on the line. 

Dampening Table Linen. — Table linen, if 
only partly dry when taken from the line, may 
be folded and rolled for ironing. If it is dry 
when taken from the line, it will need more 
dampening than other clothes. 

The tablecloths, like the sheets, should be 
stretched even when dampened for ironing 
and then folded in the same way that they are 
to be ironed. The napkins may be rolled 



THE LAUNDRESS 



55 




Diagram Showing How to Hang Table Linen 

together, and small doilies that are not em- 
broidered with colors may also be rolled 
together. All colored pieces should be ironed 
when partly dry as they should not be rolled 
because the color may run. 

Ironing Table Linen.— Table linen should 



56 



THE LAUNDRESS 



be ironed until perfectly dry. The laundress 
should iron the wrong side until the piece is 
partly dry and then iron the right side un- 
til entirely dry. Round doilies and other 
round pieces should be ironed in the direction 
of the thread of the material to keep their 
shape. 





Diagram Showing How to Fold Table Napkins 



The laundress will be guided as to the 
method of folding napkins by the marking. 
The initials or monograms should be outside. 
Napkins should always be so folded as to be 
perfectly even when the folding is completed. 
As the material will overlap if the edges are 
brought together exactly, the margin of the 



THE LAUNDRESS 57 

upper of the lengthwise folds should be placed 
about a quarter of an inch from the under 
margin, as shown in the diagram on the oppo- 
site page. The first cross fold should be made 
in the same way. When the cross folds are 
completed the outer edges of the square will 
then appear perfectly even. 

The laundress should use her heaviest irons 
for the table linen and should consult her 
employer about how she wishes it folded. 
Some employers prefer very few folds in 
tablecloths and use a large shelf or drawer 
where they may be laid out flat. The length 
of a tablecloth is sometimes indicated by a 
small number embroidered on one corner. 
These tablecloths should be folded in such a 
way that the numbers can be seen. 

A pad or piece of flannel should be placed 
under embroidery when it is ironed. The 
part embroidered should be ironed first and 
it should be ironed on the wrong side. 

Lace or lace trimmed centrepieces or doilies 
should be handled very carefully, gently 
smoothing out the lace with the fingers before 
ironing it. The lace should be ironed on the 
wrong side, placing it on the embroidery pad 
or flannel. 

The fringe of fringed doilies should be 
brushed with the fringe brush or corn brush. 
This method is considered safer than combing, 
which is more apt to pull out the threads. 

Table linen may be taken to the employer 
or placed where she directs as soon as it is 



58 



THE LAUNDRESS 




Three Methods of 
Folding Tablecloths 







Tea Napkins 




Table Doilies or 
Centerpieces 



THE LAUNDRESS 59 

ironed, as it requires no airing if properly 
ironed. 

WASHING DISH TOWELS 

Dish towels should be put to soak in cold 
soapy water. They may be placed in a pan 
or pail, and after they are soaked they may be 
washed in hot water and soap, using a little 
ammonia or soda if quite greasy, then boiled, 
thoroughly rinsed and hung to dry. 

The employer will direct whether she wants 
the dish towels ironed or not. Glass towels 
used in bathrooms are always ironed. 

men's shirts 

The laundress may have quite a variety of 
shirts to wash that not only require different 
starching but are made of different fabrics 
such as linen, cotton, silk and wool. 

Soaking Men's Shirts.— When the shirts are 
soaked, soap should be rubbed on the neckband 
and on the cuffs; these parts should be folded 
inside when the shirt is rolled and packed in the 
tub for soaking. 

Washing White Linen and Cotton Shirts.— 
White linen and cotton shirts may be washed in 
soap and hot water like other white cotton and 
linen fabrics, giving special attention to the col- 
larband and cuffs, which are the most soiled. 
After being washed they may be boiled, if neces- 
sary, for ten or fifteen minutes, rinsed twice, 
blued, wrung and hung wrong side out to dry, 
as shown in the diagram on the following page. 



60 



THE LAUNDRESS 




Diagram Showing How to Dry a Shirt 

Mens Wool Shirts. — Wool shirts should be 
washed carefully by themselves. They should 
first be shaken to remove any dust, then washed 
in lukewarm water, using a mild white soap; if 
quite soiled a little borax may be added. 
They should be rinsed in two or three waters, 
all lukewarm, then put through the wringer, 
shaken and hung until half dry or rolled in 
a clean cloth until ready to iron. 

Mens Silk Shirts. — Silk shirts should be 
washed in the same manner as wool shirts, only 
omitting any borax, but it is not necessary to 
have the rinsing water absolutely the same tem- 



THE LAUNDRESS 61 

perature as the washing water, as it is with 
woolens. 

If the silk shirts are of different colors, the 
laundress should wash the shirts of each color 
separately, lest the colors should run. 

After thoroughly rinsing the silk shirts, they 
should be wrung and hung to partly dry or 
rolled in a clean cloth until ready to iron. 

Starching Shirts. — After the shirts that re- 
quire starching have been washed and dried, 
the cuffs may be starched with either thick 
boiled starch, cold starch or a mixture of both. 

The recipes for boiled and cold starch are 
given under a separate heading. 

Many laundresses still starch shirt cuffs and 
collars in cold or raw starch, applying the starch 
by dipping the piece in the starch, wringing and 
dipping again until the proper stiffness is at- 
tained. The other method is to lay the cuff to 
be starched flat on the table and then moisten 
a loosely woven cloth with the starch and rub 
the starch into the cuff on both sides, rubbing 
also with the palm of the hand. It is very im- 
portant to rub the starch in very evenly, and if 
there is too much starch it may be removed by 
gently rubbing the cuff with a damp cloth. 

Teachers of laundry work and commercial 
laundries generally recommend the boiled 
starch because they find it is more easily ironed, 
and they find the method of rubbing starch 
into the material saves more time than the 
dipping and wringing process. However, good 
results may be obtained by either method. 



b% THE LAUNDRESS 

After starching the parts of the shirts that 
require heavy starch, they should be rolled 
firmly inside the shirt to keep their dampness. 
The shirt may be ironed about a half hour 
after starching if cold starch is used, or ironed 
as soon as dry if boiled starch is used. 

Ironing and Folding Shirts. — The laundress 
should be sure that her irons are clean and 
hot and that everything is in readiness, as 
described under the separate heading of 
"Ironing." 

Heavy irons should be used for shirts. 

The laundress should first iron the neck- 
band, then the front pleat or bosom, then the 
cuffs and sleeves, and finally the body of the 
shirt. When ironing the body of the shirt, 
always iron from the shoulder down. 

When ironing the stiff parts, iron quickly on 
the wrong side until partly dry, then iron on 
the right side until wholly dry. The laundress 
should be careful when ironing cuffs to iron 
first from the outer edge towards the sleeve, 
so that there will be no little folds near the 
edge of the cuff and any extra fulness will be 
pushed back from the edge, which should be 
ironed especially smooth. Wrinkles may also 
be prevented by laying the cuffs very flat and 
smooth on the ironing table. 

Shirts should be thoroughly dried or aired 
before being folded. 

The diagram on the opposite page shows how 
to fold men's shirts. 

Men's Collars. — Collars are washed, boiled, 




Diagram Showing How to Fold Men's Shirts 



rinsed, blued and starched like shirts. They 
are ironed flat like cuffs. 

To iron a turnover collar dampen a cloth, 
hold tightly over the finger and rub along the 
place where the collar turns over, which 
softens the starch so it will turn easily. 

Collars and cuffs are rolled by pressing the 
large end of the iron firmly on the collar or 
cuff, at the same time turning the collar over 
the iron as it is being pressed. 



64 THE LAUNDRESS 

WASHING WHITE WAISTS, DRESSES, ETC. 

White wash dresses and waists may be soaked 
over night or for an hour, depending upon how 
much they are soiled. If there is any colored 
trimming or embroidery, then they should not 
be soaked at all. Dresses and waists should be 
washed carefully. Very fine pieces and trim- 
ming should not be rubbed on the washboard. 
They may be washed in hot water and soap, 
adding, if necessary, a little borax or ammonia. 
If the pieces are all cotton or linen, without any 
colored trimming, they may, if necessary, be 
boiled. 

The laundress should give special attention 
to the most soiled parts, such as around the 
neck, the wrists of sleeves and the hem of the 
dress. Those that require no starch such as 
crape, voile, etc., may be rinsed thoroughly, 
lightly blued, turned wrong side out and hung 
on the line. Those that require starch may 
be starched, the heavier material with thinner 
starch than the lighter materials. 

The best way to hang waists is from the 
shoulders, turning them inside out, so the 
garment will be in much the same position as 
when it is worn. Children's dresses, which 
are short, may be hung in the same way. 
This is especially important if the dress has a 
fine ruffle on the hem, which would be injured 
if hung by pinning the ruffles to the line. 

Many laundresses think it takes longer to 
dry children's waists and dresses by hanging 



THE LAUNDRESS 65 








Diagram Showing How to Hang Waists and Dresses 

them from the shoulders, but they will find, if 
they hang one dress one way and one the other, 
that they will dry in practically the same time. 
The diagram shows how to hang waists and 
children's dresses. 



66 THE LAUNDRESS 

COLORED CLOTHES 

Setting Color. — The laundress should ex- 
amine all the colored clothes very carefully 
and place all that are new by themselves to 
set the color. Each color should be washed 
separately to prevent different colors running 
together. There are some dyes that will 
always run when washed. 

Color may be set by using salt for all 
colors; vinegar for blue colors; and sugar of 
lead (very poisonous) for lavender. 

The proportions are: 

2 cups of salt to ^ quarts of water, 
i cup of vinegar to ^ quarts of water, 
1 tahlespoonful of sugar of lead to 4 quarts 
of water. 

Washing Colored Cotton and Linen Clothes. 
After setting the color, if it has been neces- 
sary, the laundress should dip the clothes in 
cold water and then wash in lukewarm water. 
The temperature should be between 98° and 
100° Fahrenheit. A good suds should be made 
of any good white soap. Soap in solution is 
convenient to use and is better for the clothes. 
It is injurious to fine colored clothes to rub 
them hard; they should be squeezed, rubbing 
any spots gently with the hands. 

A hand or power washing machine may be 
used, using the same temperature for the 
soapy water as described. Cold soapy water 
may be used with good results, but it is un- 
comfortable if washing by hand. 



THE LAUNDRESS 67 

After washing the clothes, they should be 
rinsed two or three times, turned inside out 
and those that require no starching such as 
crape or voile should be hung to dry in a 
shady place or indoors. It is safer to iron when 
half dry. Colored clothes with white trim- 
mings should not be dampened and rolled 
even for a short time, as the color may run 
and discolor the trimming. 

Starching Colored Linen and Cotton Clothes. 
The colored clothes that require starch may 
be starched either by diluting the starch 
already made (if it has been put aside with 
no blueing in it) or by making a thin or clear 
starch, according to the texture of the cotton 
or linen to be starched. 

When starching colored clothes, turn the 
garment inside out before dipping in the 
starch, which should be waririy not hot. Rub 
the garment together after starching to thor- 
oughly blend the starch with the material. 
Dry as described for unstarched colored 
clothes. 

WASHING LACE AND SMALL FINE PIECES 

Lace and very fine pieces of muslin and 
embroidery should be handled carefully. Lace 
that is very delicate is frequently basted to 
muslin before washing. 

A basin should be filled for soaking with 
warm soapy water, and if the pieces are quite 
soiled a teaspoon of either borax or ammonia 
may be added. 

Soap may be used in solution. 



08 THE LAUNDRESS 

These pieces should be soaked for about an 
hour and then placed in hot soapy water and 
squeezed gently until clean. Or a preserve 
jar may be filled with hot soapy water and the 
pieces of lace shaken in it. If there are spots 
or stains from perspiration they may be 
removed by laying the lace in the sun to 
bleach. These pieces should never be rubbed. 
After washing they should be rinsed most 
thoroughly. 



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Diagram Showing How to Pin a Lace Collar 
TO Dry 



If the lace is an ecru tint, it may be dipped 
in a weak solution of tea. Pieces of muslin 
or embroidery may be dipped in a very weak 
blueing water. Usually real lace is not blued. 

The best method of ironing lace is to pin the 
lace to the ironing table, which should be 
covered with a perfectly clean ironing sheet. 
The lace should be pinned carefully to keep its 
exact shape. If the piece is a collar, first pin 



THE LAUNDRESS 69 

around the neck band, then pin around the 
outside, being very careful not to pull or 
strain the collar. 

The first pins may be placed at wide intervals 
and then as many more as required inserted 
between them; stick the pins in the natural 
holes of the lace, and if there is time pin each 
little point. The lace if well pinned will dry 
in its proper shape and will not require ironing. 
If the lace is ironed, it should be ironed on 
the wrong side over a pad or flannel. 

Muslin, embroidery or net pieces are blued 
and usually dipped in very thin starch such 
as clear starch. They are ironed after being 
rolled in a clean cloth for about half an hour. 
Embroidered pieces should be ironed on an 
embroidery pad or piece of flannel, ironing 
on the wrong side to give the embroidery a 
raised appearance. 

WASHING COLORED SILKS 

Colored silks are washed and rinsed as has 
been described for other colored clothes, 
handling a little more gently and using the 
same soap and temperature of water. 

Some employers like their colored silks 
dipped in gum arabic, after washing and rins- 
ing, to give a little more body to the material. 

Silks are ironed when partly dry. To 
prevent their becoming too dry before the 
laundress has time to iron them, they are 
usually rolled in a clean cloth. When the 
laundress is washing pale blue or pink silk 



70 THE LAUNDRESS 

underwear, those of each color should be 
rolled by themselves. 

When the laundress is washing colored wash 
silk waists or dresses that have white trimming 
or are white with colored stripes, she should 
not roll them when wet unless she is sure the 
color is fast. When the color is not fast, the 
silk garment may be hung and ironed when 
partly dry, using an iron that is not too hot. 
Silk should not be sprinkled. This method 
of dampening spots it. If it has become too 
dry a piece of cheese cloth may be dampened 
and laid between the silk and the iron. Silk 
and crape are usually ironed on the wrong side. 

WASHING PONGEE 

Pongee, unless combined with a color, does 
not run. It may be washed as has been 
described for colored silks, but should be 
ironed when dry. If ironed when damp it 
will have a spotted appearance. 

WASHING CHIFFON 

Chiffon should be washed and ironed as 
has been described for silks, only, of course, 
chiffon being a more delicate material should 
be handled more carefully. Use a little mild 
soap and lukewarm water, then roll in a cloth 
and iron with an iron that is not very hot. 

WASHING RIBBONS 

Ribbons are easily washed by laying them 
on a table after they are wet and then rubbing 



THE LAUNDRESS 71 

soap on them with a cloth. The soap should 
be a mild white one. Then rinse thoroughly. 
If there are only a few to launder they may 
be rolled flat around a glass jar, and when 
they dry they will have the appearance of 
having been ironed. Or ribbons may be 
ironed when partly dry, hke silk. 

WASHING HANDKERCHIEFS 

The water with salt or borax in which hand- 
kerchiefs have been soaking should be poured 
off and the handkerchiefs washed in hot water 
and soap. Fine handkerchiefs should not 
be rubbed on the washboard, but if necessary 
to rub at all should be rubbed carefully in the 
hands. A very sheer handkerchief if properly 
soaked, put in hot soapy water and then 
boiled and rinsed, will require no rubbing, as 
such fine handkerchiefs are not so much soiled 
as children's heavier handkerchiefs. 

Handkerchiefs may be boiled in a pail or 
basin, without filling the boiler, as they are 
smaller and it is well to keep them by 
themselves. They should be blued in very 
weak solution and dried hke other white 
clothes that require no starch. 

Colored handkerchiefs or those made of 
silk should be washed, rinsed and rolled in a 
cloth or dried, as has been described for 
colored clothes and silks. 



72 THE LAUNDRESS 

STOCKINGS 

White Cotton or Lisle Stockings. — White 
cotton or lisle stockings should be washed 
like other cotton materials. Special atten- 
tion should be given to the feet. The stock- 
ings should be washed on the right side, 
then turned and washed on the wrong side, 
and left on the wrong side to be rinsed and 
dried. K there are children's white cotton 
stockings in the wash and they are very soiled, 
they may be boiled like other white cotton 
fabrics. 

Black and Colored Stockings. — Black stock- 
ings should be washed by themselves, and 
unless the laundress is sure that the dyes of 
colored stockings are fast she should wash 
the stockings of each color by themselves. 

Black and colored stockings are never 
soaked but are placed first in cold water to 
set the color, then washed in lukewarm soapy 
water, rinsed in lukewarm water and then 
rinsed in cold water. 

Wool Stockings. — Wool stockings should be 
washed carefully by themselves. They shrink 
very easily, which ruins them, and as they 
are expensive it is important to prevent 
their shrinking. Wool stockings should not 
be soaked. Wash them on the right side and 
then turn and wash on the wrong side in luke- 
warm soapy water; then rinse in water of exactly 
the same temperature, turn, wring, shake and 
hang to partly dry or, if stretchers are used, 



THE LAUNDRESS 73 

the stockings should be pulled over them and 
left to dry. 

Silk Stockings. — Silk stockings should be 
washed by themselves. White silk stockings 
should be separated from the colored stockings 
and washed first in lukewarm soapy water. 

The same wash water may then be used 
for washing any colored silk stockings, but it is 
safer to wash the different colors by them- 
selves, as the colors are apt to run. 

As the color so frequently runs, it is well to 
dip the stockings in a strong solution of salt 
and water before washing. 

Colored stockings should never be left soak- 
ing in the water but should be washed quickly, 
rinsed, wrung and hung partly to dry like other 
silk fabrics. 

Drying, and Ironing Stockings. — Stockings 
should be hung by the toe wrong side out on 
the line to dry. If they are to be ironed they 
should be ironed on the wrong side. 

WOOLEN GARMENTS 

Waists, wrappers, petticoats, etc., made of 
wool or partly wool should be shaken to 
remove dust, not soaked but washed in either 
cold or lukewarm soapy water with a little 
borax, if necessary, rinsed two or three times 
in water of exactly the same temperature as 
the washing water, then wrung, shaken and 
hung to dry partly or rolled in a clean cloth 
until ready to iron. It is better to use the 
soap in solution. 



74 THE LAUNDRESS 

Wool fabrics should not be hung out of doors 
to dry on a very cold or frosty day. 

Any colored garment should be washed by 
itself to prevent the possibility of the color 
running into a white garment. 

Wool underwear is washed as has been 
described for other wool garments. 

KNITTED AND CROCHETED ARTICLES 

Knitted or crocheted articles, such as shawls 
or sweaters, should be put by themselves and 
washed with great care, as it is difficult to wash 
them so that they will retain their shape. 

The laundress should first get a piece of 
paper, pencil and tape measure, then measure 
the article to be washed, and write down the 
measurements, so that she may refer to them 
when adjusting the garment for drying. 

Before washing a sweater, lay it on the laun- 
dry table, button it down the front and then 
measure its length, width and length of sleeves. 

Knitted and crocheted articles should be 
washed in the same manner as other wool 
garments, only more care should be used in 
handling them and lifting them from the 
water so as not to stretch the garment. It is 
better to squeeze the water from the garment 
while holding it in a bunch and then lay it at 
once on the table. If there is water left in the 
sweater it may be absorbed by the cotton cloth 
on which the sweater is laid, and another cloth 
may be laid over the sweater to absorb any 
extra moisture and protect it from dust. 



THE LAUNDRESS 



75 



The laundress should look up the measure- 
ments which she wrote on the paper and while 
the sweater is wet adjust the length, width and 
sleeve length to the correct measurements; 




Measure the parts indicated by dotted lines 
Diagram Showing Measurements of Sweater 

possibly some pinning may be necessary to 
hold the sweater in shape. 

The diagram shows how the measurements 
should be taken. 



WASHING DUSTERS AND CLOTHS 

The soaking water should be poured off 
dusters and cloths and they should be washed 
in hot water with a little ammonia, if neces- 
sary, and then boiled. 

If they have not been allowed to become 
too soiled, they will be more easily washed and 
will last much longer. 



76 THELAUNDRESS 

WASHING DRESS SHIELDS 

Dress shields should be washed separately, 
as being made of rubber they must not be put 
in very hot water. Warm soapy water will 
not injure them but they should be rinsed in 
water of the same temperature. 

WASHING CORSETS 

Corsets that have rubber bands in them 
should be washed in the same manner as dress 
shields; if they are discolored by perspiration, 
they may be laid in the sun to bleach. 

Corsets made of cotton or linen may be 
washed in hot water with ammonia or borax. 
They should never be rolled up damp as they 
may have steels in them which will rust. 

WASHING BLANKETS 

Blankets are washed as described for washing 
wool garments, using great care to have the 
wash waters and rinsing waters the same 
temperature. If the water is lukewarm it 
should be between 98° and 100° Fahrenheit, 
or the wash water may be cold, in which case 
the rinse water should be cold also. 

The laundress should shave a cake of good 
white soap into 2 quarts of water, heat until 
melted and add 2 tablespoons of borax. 

Enough of this solution may be poured in 
the tub to make a good suds. It should be 
sufficient to wash two pairs of blankets. 

Blankets usually should be put through two 



THE LAUNDRESS 77 

soapy waters, squeezing and kneading them, 
but without hard rubbing. A hand washing 
machine or one run by power may be used. 
After washing, the blankets should be rinsed 
in two or three waters, the same temperature 
as the washing water. They may be put 
through the wringers, loosening the rollers. 

Blankets should be hung over the line the 
long way, so that if there are colored stripes 
and the color is not fast, it will not run on the 
blanket. It is better not to lay the blanket 
too smoothly over the line, but wrinkle it 
somewhat so it will keep its shape. When the 
blanket is nearly dry, it may be brushed with 
a clean corn brush to bring up the nap. 

Blankets should not be hung out in very 
cold weather, but a windy day dries them well. 
They should be very thoroughly dried before 
being taken upstairs and usually need airing 
in the laundry after they are brought in from 
the line. 

CURTAINS 

Lace Curtains. — Lace curtains should be 
thoroughly shaken before soaking, as there is 
a great deal of dust clinging to them, which 
if left when the curtain is placed in the water 
will turn to mud and be diflScult to wash out. 

They should be washed in hot soapy water, 
squeezing and not rubbing, and usually need 
to be put through two soapy waters and one 
or two rinsing waters. If the curtains are pure 
white they may be dipped in a very weak blu- 



78 THE LAUNDRESS 

ing water. If ecru, dip in a weak solution of 
coffee or black tea. A very thin starch may- 
be used if desired, rice is the best. 

If the laundress has a curtain stretcher, she 
may stretch several lace curtains on one 
stretcher. If there is no curtain stretcher, a 
sheet may be pinned tightly to the floor and 
the lace curtain pinned to the sheet. It is 
well to measure the curtain to make sure that 
all the hems are the same length and width 
when stretched to dry on the floor. 

Muslin Curtains. — Muslin curtains should 
be washed as has been described for lace 
curtains. The employer will direct as to the 
starching of muslin curtains, as some prefer 
no starch in them. 

If the muslin curtains are to be starched, 
they may be dipped in a clear starch which 
requires no drying. The curtains may then 
be rolled in a clean cloth until partly dry, 
and then they may be ironed. It is well to 
iron curtains on as large a surface as possible, 
as it is easier to keep the shape of the curtain. 
When edged with lace, the lace should be 
gently shaped with the hands while ironing. 

STAINS AND HOW TO REMOVE THEM 

Remove stains by trying simple methods 
first, as acid should always be a last resort. 

Fruit. — Use boiling water and borax. Peach 
stains may be removed with boiling water, but 
usually an acid such as javelle water has to be 
used. It is very important to rinse thoroughly 



THE LAUNDRESS 79 

the piece of linen in boiling water after apply- 
ing javelle water. 

Tea and Coffee. — Place the stained part over 
a bowl and pour on boiling water or use cold 
water and borax. If the material is white cotton 
or linen it may be boiled and placed in the 
sun to bleach. 

Cocoa or Chocolate. — Use cold water, rubbing 
soap on the stain, and soak a little; then wash 
as usual. 

Grease from Food, — Use warm soap and 
water. 

Wheel Grease or Oil. — Use lard, applying 
freely to the spot and after about half an 
hour wash with warm water and soap. 

Grass Stain. — Use the same method as de- 
scribed for wheel grease or oil. 

Wine. — Sprinkle the stain with salt and 
then pour on boiling water. 

Vaseline. — Wash in hot water and soap. 

Scorch. — Wash in soap and water and if 
that does not remove the scorch stain lay the 
piece in the sun. If the material is burned 
badly the stain cannot be removed. 

Mildew. —This stain or rather mould is very 
diflBcult to remove. If it is fresh and has not 
attacked the body of the material, it may be 
removed by washing in cold water and placing 
in the sun, or by moistening with lemon juice 
and salt and placing in the sun to bleach. 

Paint. — If the stain is from water color 
paint, used so much by children, it will wash 
out in warm water and soap. If the paint is 



80 THE LAUNDRESS 

oil paint and is fresh and wet, then it also can 
be washed out with hot water and soap, as 
paint brushes are washed. When the paint is 
dry and hard, it can be softened with lard and 
may be washed out with turpentine. Turpen- 
tine is dangerous to use as it is inflammable. 

Wax. — Scrape off as much as possible and 
then absorb with a white blotting paper by 
laying it over the spot and then applying a 
hot iron. After this, the spot may be rubbed 
with alcohol, if any stain remains. 

Ink. — If the spot is fresh and wet, it may 
often be washed entirely out with hot water 
and soap. If the stain is old, however, it may 
be removed by oxalic acid, which may be ob- 
tained through the employer. It is very poi- 
sonous. Lemon juice and salt will sometimes 
remove ink stains. 

Iron Rust. — Lemon juice and salt have been 
used in home laundries to remove rust stains. 
Sprinkle salt on the rust spot, then moisten 
with lemon juice, and place in the sun. The 
stain should be kept moist. Oxalic acid may 
be used if the employer directs. 

Perspiration. — Wash with soap and water, 
and if the piece stained is white lay in the sun 
to bleach. 

Blood. — Soak in cold water and then wash 
in warm water and soap. 

TIMING WORK 

The laundress should time her work as far 
as possible, as this will be a great assistance 



THBLATJNDRESS 81 

not only to herself but also to her employer 
when they are planning the work. The laun- 
dress should time herself to find out how long 
it takes to give the laundry its daily cleanmg, 
to wash and iron a certain number of flat pieces, 
starched pieces, or underwear, and to do all the 
different items of her work. She will then 
know just how much time she has at her dis- 
posal and may arrange her work to the best 
advantage. 

CLOSING HOUSE 

When the house is to be closed, the laundress 
should arrange and wash all drawers and 
shelves, and everything that is of no use 
should be thrown away. All cleamng cloths 
should be washed, dried and put back in the 
drawer with the clean cloths. All utensils 
should be put away in drawers or closets, or it to 
be left on open shelves they should be covered. 
The laundry floor should be brushed up. 
All tubs should be left clean and dry. 
The laundry stove should be cleaned and 
oiled to prevent rusting. Flat irons should 
be cleaned and oil or grease rubbed on them; 
then they should be wrapped in paper. 

Everything in the laundry that is made of 
iron, brass, nickel or tin should be left clean 
and dry and then rubbed with oil or grease to 
prevent rusting. , 

Ironing sheets should be removed from the 
ironing table and the skirt board, washed and 
put aLy. Dust sheets should be laid over 
the ironing table if the paddmg is left on it. 



82 THE LAUNDRESS 

Skirt boards should be covered or put away 
out of dust. 

Soap dishes should be emptied and washed, 
but the contents of glass jars may be left. 

Clothespins should be looked over; those 
that are broken should be thrown away and the 
good ones put away or covered. The clothes 
line should be brought in, if it has been left 
out, and scrubbed, dried and put away. 

Windows should be locked, the shades 
drawn, and the outside laundry door locked 
and the key given to the employer. 

LAUNDRESS-COOK 

The position of laundress is frequently 
combined with the position of cook. The 
laundress-cook should understand the funda- 
mentals of cooking and the care of the kitchen 
equipment. The directions for the cook will 
be found in a separate book in this series. 

LAUNDRESS-CHA^IBERMAID 

In many families the position of laundress 
is combined with that of chambermaid. 

The laundress-chambermaid should know the 
fundamentals of chamber work. She should 
also help with the dining room dishes and help 
with the waiting on the table when required. 
The directions for a chambermaid will be found 
in a separate book in this series. 



THE • PLIMPTON • PRESS 
NORWOOD-MASS-U-S-A- 



